1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chemical reaction processing apparatus and a chemical reaction processing method capable of obtaining many products by means of a combinatorial method, for example, and efficiently analyzing properties of these many products, and to a measuring and mixing apparatus used for the above apparatus and method.
2. Description of the Related Art
The crystal structure, composition, and crystal grain size of ceramic materials can now be controlled on a micron- to nano-scale due to the recent progress in fine ceramics technology. The application range of ceramic materials to electronic components is therefore rapidly widening.
Especially, metal oxide has a wide variety of solid state properties such as dielectric properties, magnetic properties, and electric conductive properties. Because of the various properties of ceramic materials including non-stoichiometry and anisotropy of the crystal structure, there are many parameters to control during the ceramic materials fabrication.
In a conventional method in which materials are produced one by one and their properties are individually examined, it takes a tremendous amount of time to obtain desired materials. A key to exploring new ceramic materials is systematic control of various combinations of a wide variety of raw materials.
The present invention is made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a chemical reaction processing apparatus and a chemical reaction processing method capable of obtaining various chemical products with easy control and efficiently analyzing and evaluating them, and to provide a measuring and mixing apparatus used for the above apparatus and method.
To attain the above object, a first main aspect of the present invention is a chemical reaction processing apparatus for producing a plurality of samples, each sample obtained by mixing a plurality of raw inorganic materials in its own predetermined mixing ratio, and for analyzing the samples, comprising: a measuring and mixing section for producing the samples and for arranging the samples in respective predetermined quantities on a reaction tray; a heat treating section for heat-treating the samples on the reaction tray all at once; a measurement section for sequentially performing a predetermined measurement on the samples on the reaction tray; and an analyzing section for analyzing measurement results obtained in the measurement section.
According to the aforesaid configuration, various products can be obtained at a time by a combinatorial method, and these products can be analyzed and evaluated efficiently.
It is preferable that the aforesaid raw materials are in the form of a slurry or a liquid.
The measuring and mixing section comprises a raw material distribution mechanism wherein each raw material is measured by volume and is distributed in predetermined quantities into mixing vessels, in which the raw inorganic materials are mixed to produce the samples.
According to the aforesaid configuration, each raw material can be measured by means of pipette suction or discharge volume; therefore, the composition and distribution can be easily controlled. Moreover, the use of slurry-like raw materials makes mixing of raw materials efficient. It is preferable that the measuring and mixing section includes an agitating means in order to make the mixtures as uniform as possible.
Further, it is preferable that the measuring and mixing section includes a mixing vessel holding section for holding the mixing vessels in which the raw materials are distributed and mixed.
The measuring and mixing section further comprises a sample transfer mechanism for transferring the samples from the mixing vessels to the reaction tray on which the samples are arranged in respective predetermined quantities.
According to the aforesaid configuration, the raw materials are transferred to the reaction tray after being mixed once in the mixing vessels, whereby mixing of the materials can be made more effectively than the case wherein the raw materials are directly distributed to the reaction tray and mixed therein.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the samples in all the mixing vessels have approximately the same volume as well as approximately the same total number of moles of the elements of the raw materials. As a result, samples even with different molar fractions of raw materials have approximately the same number of moles per unit volume. Thus, measurement conditions can be adjusted easily even for different samples in the analyzing process.
It is preferable that the transfer of the samples to the reaction tray is made over a plurality of times each in a small quantity, so that the samples can be dried fast.
Furthermore, the apparatus comprises a flattening means for flattening the surfaces of the samples on the reaction tray. The flattening means preferably comprises a press-molding plate for pressing the samples to make the sample surfaces almost flat. As a result, measurements in the measurement section can be performed accurately. Instead of the press-molding plate, a cutting means may be used as the flattening means for cutting off heaped portions of the samples to make the sample surfaces almost flat.
A second main aspect of the present invention is a measuring and mixing apparatus for producing a plurality of samples, each sample obtained by mixing a plurality of raw inorganic materials in its own predetermined mixing ratio, comprising: a raw material distribution means wherein each raw inorganic material is measured by volume and is distributed in predetermined quantities into mixing vessels in which the raw inorganic materials are mixed to produce the samples; and a sample transfer means for transferring the samples from the mixing vessels to a reaction tray on which the samples are arranged in respective predetermined quantities. It is preferable that this measuring and mixing apparatus is used for the chemical reaction processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, and it is more preferable that the measuring and mixing apparatus includes the aforesaid characteristics of the measuring and mixing section of the chemical reaction processing apparatus.
A third aspect of the present invention is a chemical reaction processing method for producing a plurality of samples, each sample obtained by mixing a plurality of raw inorganic materials in its own predetermined mixing ratio, and for analyzing the samples, comprising: a measuring and mixing step of producing the samples and of arranging the samples in respective predetermined quantities on a reaction tray; a heat treating step of heat-treating the samples on the reaction tray all at once; a measurement step of sequentially performing a predetermined measurement on the samples on the reaction tray; and an analyzing step of analyzing measurement results obtained in said measurement step.
According to the aforesaid configuration, various products can be obtained at a time by a combinatorial method, and these products can be analyzed and evaluated efficiently.